Hardly a Harlequin Romance
by thegirl20
Summary: No-one will write romance novels about them. Except maybe Cindy. (Jill/Lindsay)


Lindsay rubbed the back of her neck, the stress of her day settling solidly in a knot right between her shoulder blades. She sighed and pushed the door to the morgue open, it felt heavier than usual.

Claire looked up as she walked in, her expression a mirror of Lindsay's own. Dead tired. The case they were working on had been drawn out and they still hadn't managed to find anything of worth. Lindsay raised her eyebrows at Claire.

"Anything?"

Claire shook her head.

"Nothin'. A big whole heap of nothin'. I got nothin' comin' out of my ears. I'm callin' it a night."

Lindsay nodded.

"Yeah, you get on home."

She watched as Claire packed up for the night.

"Oh, did you see Jill? I told her I'd go out for a drink with her but I don't think I can face it tonight. I was gonna see if she'd be up for a bottle of wine at my place instead."

Claire hesitated, almost like she didn't want to say what she was going to say next.

"Uh…yeah, she got bored…so she took Cindy instead."

Lindsay's eyes went wide, her tiredness suddenly forgotten.

"Jill and Cindy? Out together? Are you sure?"

"Uh huh, yeah." Claire smiled. "I'm sure they're fine."

"Fine? Jill's probably…and Cindy…God, I'm not even sure which one I should be going to rescue!"

"Why do you always have to rescue people? They're two grown women, colleagues, going for a drink after work. Let them be."

Claire switched off the lights and ushered Lindsay out of the morgue. Lindsay already had her phone to her ear.

"Jill's not picking up."

Claire didn't answer. Lindsay pushed the button she knew would gain tacit agreement for a rescue mission.

"I'm worried about her, Claire."

Claire sighed.

"You? You're not the one who hears her sneak in at all hours of the morning. I feel like I've gained a thirty-something, very pale, rebellious, teenage daughter. She's not taking this break-up well at all."

"She's still not picking up, I'm calling Cindy."

Lindsay scrolled until she found Cindy's number. She sighed. Usually she avoided calling the young reporter, because Cindy always sounded so damn happy to hear from her, it was unsettling. The phone rang a few times before it was answered.

"Hello? Tindy Somas."

The greeting was followed by a great deal of spluttered laughter and a lot of male voices repeating 'Tindy Somas'. Lindsay waited, impatiently.

"I mean…Cindy Thomas."

"Cindy, it's Lindsay, where are you?"

"Lindsay! I'm fine, how are _you_?"

"No, I said _where_ are you?"

"Oh, it's really loud here. I'm in a bar."

"Yeah, I gathered that. Which bar are you in?"

"Uh…I'm not sure…we've been in a few…hey barkeep, what's the name of this saloon?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes as the bartender muttered something about the 'fucking wild, west'. Cindy came back to the phone.

"It's called Bodily Fluids or something…it's on Mission Street. It has a lot of glowy things."

"I'll find it."

"Oh! You're coming down?"

Lindsay half expected a 'yay' to follow, thankfully it didn't.

"Yeah, I told Jill I'd meet her for a drink."

"Oh my God, Lindsay," Cindy's voice became a whisper which was still technically a shout. "Jill's totally wasted."

Lindsay closed her eyes.

"This from Ms Sobriety 2008."

"Huh?"

"Nothing. Just…keep an eye on her, I'll be there in twenty minutes."

They had reached the parking lot and Claire was unlocking her car.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Lindsay yelled to her, jogging to her own vehicle.

"Yep, tomorrow. Oh, and Lindsay?"

Lindsay paused, turning back to face Claire.

"Try not to have sex with Jill tonight."

Lindsay's jaw dropped in indignation.

"Claire! I am not going to have sex with Jill tonight!"

"Mmmhmm. Have a good night."

Lindsay shook her head as she climbed into her car. She was definitely not going to have sex with Jill. She was going to be a concerned friend. There would be no sex. Nope. None.

*

Lindsay found the bar and flashed her badge to skip the line. She didn't often abuse her position of power, but the people waiting on line were drunk and annoying. And she had enough of that waiting for her inside.

She located Cindy easily. From the phone conversation she could completely picture her holding court on a bar-stool, surrounded by admirers. And that is exactly how she found her. She pushed in so that she was standing behind Cindy's shoulder.

"…and so we were making out in the back of his friend's truck on the freeway at eighty miles an hour when the…"

Lindsay leaned in.

"You do know that's illegal?" she whispered.

Cindy jumped and spun around, eyes wide.

"Making out in a truck?"

"Driving at eighty."

Cindy grinned.

"I wasn't driving so it's all good."

The crowd of men had started to disperse, frightened off by Lindsay's authoritative presence. Lindsay's eyes scanned the surrounding area.

"Where's Jill?"

"Oh, she's…she was…she was over there a minute ago. I dunno, she's making the rounds tonight. She's a total flirt when she's been drinking! I mean, I know she's kinda flirty all the time. But tonight she's flirted with everybody! She's kissed me twice!"

Lindsay's eyes immediately flicked back to Cindy who looked mildly thrilled that Jill had made drunken advances towards her. Under Lindsay's stare her excitement waned a little.

"Uh…but only once was with tongue," she qualified, hoping to make Lindsay stop looking at her.

Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"Aha! Lindsay, just the woman!" Jill's voice drew her attention away from the squirming redhead.

Jill was approaching, dragging a man behind her. They both came to a gradual halt at the bar and appeared to be holding each other up.

"Now, Chuck…"

"Chip."

"Whatever. If I were to deign to sleep with you tonight, which I gotta tell you isn't very likely at all, but if I decided that I was gonna sleep with you, _this_ is what you would be measured against."

Jill gestured emphatically at Lindsay. Chuck/Chip's eyes trailed up and down Lindsay's body. Lindsay ground her molars and resisted the urge to draw her gun. And Cindy choked on her Cosmo.

Jill whacked Cindy on the back while continuing to explain things to Chip.

"So, you had a pretty good look there Chuck,…"

"Chip."

"Yeah, and you will have noticed that she is absolutely far more gorgeous than you are. She is also very fit and has a lot of stamina which, your beer gut suggests, you don't have. And when it comes to pleasing a woman, let me tell you…" Jill leaned in close to Chip "…she is second to none." Jill stood up straight. "Now, how would you say you stack up, Chuck?"

He burbled something incoherent.

"Didn't think so. You can go now."

He staggered off, still mumbling.

"Thanks for the drink, Chuck!" Jill yelled, toasting him with whatever was in the cocktail glass she was holding before tipping the contents down her throat. In a fluid movement she deposited the empty glass on the bar, and ended up in Lindsay's arms, their faces almost touching. Jill smiled drunkenly.

"Hey you."

"Hey yourse-mmmmph!"

Jill's greeting was a little more enthusiastic than Lindsay had expected and she found herself pressed against the bar, her mouth being devoured by one that tasted of smoke and liquor. She allowed it to continue for a few seconds before wrenching her lips away, deliberately turning her face to the side. Which only succeeded in encouraging Jill to start kissing her ear.

Cindy was staring at the pair of them with her mouth literally hanging open. Lindsay narrowed her eyes, but booze and shock had increased Cindy's resistance to the laser-eyes.

"OK…when I said she kissed me, she didn't kiss me like _that_," Cindy muttered, almost talking to herself.

"I think we should go," Lindsay suggested, removing Jill's hand from where it had crept up under her shirt.

"I think we should go dancing," Jill said, putting her hand right back where it had been.

"Ooooh, dancing!" Cindy exclaimed.

Lindsay let out an exasperated sigh.

"The two of you can barely stand, let alone dance, we're going home…you'll thank me in the morning."

Jill pressed her nose into Lindsay's cheek.

"That depends on how good you are tonight, my dear."

Lindsay fought down the urge to scream in frustration. She hooked Jill firmly around the waist with one arm and offered a hand to Cindy who took it and jumped down from her perch on the barstool. Lindsay wobbled a little when Cindy's full weight came to rest against her.

"Little shaky on the dismount there, sport," Jill said, grinning at Cindy.

Lindsay didn't wait for Cindy to respond and started moving the three of them through the crowded room.

*  
Only when everyone was finally settled into Lindsay's car and they were on the road home did Lindsay allow herself a sigh of relief. Then Jill's hand landed on her thigh and her stress levels shot back up.

A presence at her shoulder caused her to look in the rearview mirror to see Cindy sitting forward between the two seats, watching the progress of Jill's hand with interest.

"Sit back and put your seatbelt on!" Lindsay barked.

"Or what…you'll arrest me?" Cindy asked, raising an eyebrow at Lindsay's reflection in the mirror.

Jill laughed in delight.

"Oh, liquor makes her fun! Can we keep her liquored up all the time?" she asked, giving Lindsay's leg a squeeze.

Obviously emboldened by the alcohol and by Jill's apparent support of her, Cindy pushed a little further.

"So…this thing where the two of you make out and feel each other up…how long has that been going on?"

"There's no thi-…" Lindsay began.

"Forever," Jill stated, simply.

Cindy slumped back into the backseat.

"Wow, and I missed it."

"There was nothing to miss," Lindsay insisted, glaring at Jill.

"Well, maybe not lately," Jill admitted.

"We've only known her lately," Lindsay reminded her.

Jill turned in her seat so that she was facing Cindy.

"Lindsay and I have a…complicated history."

"History being the operative word," Lindsay interrupted, pulling into a driveway and bringing the car to a halt.

The cessation of movement drew the attention of Jill and Cindy to their destination.

"Hey…this is your place," Cindy said, her brow scrunched in confusion.

Jill reached over and ruffled Cindy's hair.

"Very observant, Mary Sunshine! We'll make a reporter of you yet!"

Lindsay sighed.

"Yes, this is my place. I'm not sending you back to Claire's in this state…" she said, looking pointedly at Jill before turning to Cindy "…and I think if she's staying it'd be better for everyone if you stayed too."

"Great…so I'm the chaperone? How boring does that make me sound?" Cindy whined.

"Tough break, kid," Jill sympathized, climbing awkwardly over the handbrake and straddling Lindsay's thighs.

"What are you doing?" Lindsay demanded.

"Give Cindy the keys."

"No."

"C'mon, how long is it since we did it in the car?"

"It's going to be a hell of a lot longer!" Lindsay said, opening the car door and manoeuvring both herself and Jill into a standing position on the driveway. Cindy had also exited the jeep. She looked at Lindsay seriously.

"Lindsay, you should have seen how many people propositioned Jill tonight. I really think you're being quite ungrateful."

Lindsay's mouth dropped open. Jill grinned. Suddenly, Cindy found herself being propelled into the building by a hand on her collar.

"Get in there!"

*

Lindsay dropped an armful of blankets onto the couch. Jill walked past and grabbed Lindsay's hand, pulling her towards the bedroom. She spoke over her shoulder.

"OK, g'night Cindy, I had a really good time tonight."

Lindsay pulled Jill to a stop.

"Woah there…we are _not_ sharing a bed."

Jill rolled her eyes.

"Like we've never shared a bed before."

"Be that as it may, I'm not sharing a bed with you when you're in this mood."

"Happy?"

"Drunk."

"You wouldn't be taking advantage."

"I won't be taking anything. I promised Claire."

"Claire knows? Damn," Cindy said, disappointed once again in her lack of observational skills.

"So what do you propose?" Jill asked, hands on hips.

"I'll take the couch and you and Cindy can take the bed," Lindsay stated.

Jill raised an eyebrow at Cindy, a smile curling her lips.

"Aaaaah, no, actually, I'll share with Cindy and you can take the couch," Lindsay amended.

Jill spun on her heel, ice-hot fury burning in her eyes.

"I knew it! I knew there had to be a reason you were giving me the brush-off! You'd rather sleep with that little scarlet hussy!" Jill turned to Cindy for a brief glance. "No offence."

"None taken," Cindy said.

"I don't want to sleep with her!" Lindsay exclaimed, "I'm just trying to come up with the combination that's least likely to result in sex!"

"OK…_now_ I think I'm offended," Cindy murmured.

"What would be _so_ wrong about us having sex? We've had sex tons of times before!" Jill pushed, her hands on her hips, invading Lindsay's personal space.

"Because we agreed tha-"

"No, _you_ agreed that we wouldn't work out, and therefore we shouldn't do it anymore. I had no part in the agreement. If fact, I remember disagreeing quite vocally," Jill countered, backing Lindsay literally against the wall.

"Jill…you know I…I'd never forgive myself if we didn't work out," Lindsay said, her voice faltering.

"And you're too chicken-shit to even give it a real try?" Jill asked, not backing off. "Because personally I think we could be really great. I already know that you're obsessed with your job and that you like to eat fries dipped in strawberry milkshakes and that sometimes you go outside on a clear night and pretend you're back under that big Texas sky."

"Jill!" Lindsay said, glancing at Cindy.

Jill reached out and took Lindsay's hands into hers.

"I know you. And you know me. You know what a fuck-up I am, you know my issues, hell you've got a subscription to my issues! And you know that I'm useless at anything long-term…except you."

Lindsay was looking down at their joined hands but looked up at Jill's last words. Her eyes were shining.

"How come you get all articulate when you're drunk?" Lindsay asked, earning a smile.

"Are you saying that I'm not usually articulate?" she teased.

"Not about relationships, no," Lindsay said.

"I'm deadly serious, Linds."

They stood, gazing into each other's eyes in a heavy silence. Until it was broken by a small voice.

"Kiss her."

They turned to where Cindy was leaning on the back of the couch with twin incredulous expressions. Cindy's eyes widened.

"Did I say that out loud?"

Jill burst out laughing, burying her face in Lindsay's shoulder while Lindsay merely raised an eyebrow and shook her head at the young reporter. Lindsay wrapped an arm around Jill. Jill lifted her head and fixed Cindy with an affectionately amused look.

"You're _so_ writing some big, gay Harlequin romance novel in your head, aren't you?" she asked, winding her arms around Lindsay's waist and leaning into her.

Cindy scoffed.

"I like to think that my writing is a cut above Harlequin romance level. We're talking Pulitzer Prize winning epic lesbian romantic crime mystery legal drama novel…thingie," she explained, getting a little caught-up in her description.

Lindsay chuckled.

"Does it have a happy ending?" she asked.

Cindy's grin widened.

"Of course it does," she answered, softly.

Lindsay turned to Jill, inhaling deeply.

"You're sure you want this?" she asked.

"Yes," Jill said, simply.

Lindsay nodded and smiled.

"Me too."

And then she _did_ kiss her. To some applause from Cindy, causing both of them to blush as they parted. Jill mock-glared at her.

"Just for that, I had better be startlingly gorgeous in your book," she warned.

Cindy considered this.

"Hmmm, I don't know if I'm a good enough writer to pull _that_ off convincingly," she said, raising an eyebrow at Jill.

"Why you…" Jill started, lunging forward only to be restrained by Lindsay.

"And I think we'll call it a night there. Sleep well, Cindy. We'll see you in the morning," Lindsay called, bundling Jill through the bedroom door before she had a chance to do protest.

Cindy sighed and smiled at the closed door. She turned to Martha.

"Looks like it's just me and you, girl. What shall we do?"

Martha jumped up onto the couch and turned around a couple of times before settling down to sleep. Cindy clambered on beside her, wiggling her toes into the dog's warm fur.

"Oh well, at least somebody's willing to sleep with me."

And the two drifted off to a happy slumber, dreaming of rabbits and bones and Pulitzer Prizes.


End file.
